Vestas closed the UK's only wind turbine blade factories, on the Isle of Wight, in August 2009. Workers occupied the factory, then picketed. This blog is a history of that dispute and of the ongoing campaign for green jobs.

Climate Emergency conference, London, Saturday 7 November

Save Vestas campaign will be at the following event on Saturday. Come and see us on the stall and pick up some of the new Vestas campaign postcards to distribute.

CLIMATE EMERGENCY COPENHAGEN LONDON PUBLIC FORUM

Newsflash: just in time to make it into the programme for the Forum Colin Challen MP has submitted an Early Day Motion to Parliament based on our Climate Emergency Demands – EDM 2057. With more than 30 MPs having signed the EDM in just a few days the Forum will give us an opportunity to take the EDM forwards beyond Copenhagen and generate further support for the demands.

Open to everyone and free to attend, hosted by the Campaign Against Climate Change the Public Forum will bring together leading figures to discuss and debate the Climate Emergency and what we can be doing to tackle it. See below for the programme for the day.

Programme11:45 Doors Open
12:15-13:15 Session 1 “10% Cuts by end 2010: the case for emergency action”
13:15-13:45 Break and Workshops including:Introduction to campaigning against Agrofuels, hosted by Biofuelwatch and Food Not Fuel13:45-14:45 Session 2 “Green Jobs Now – a million climate jobs by end 2010”
14:45-15:15 Break and Workshops including:Discussion of the role of Trade Unionists in building the Climate movement before and after Copenhagen, hosted by Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group
15:15-16:15 Session 3 “Decarbonising our transport fast – the way ahead”
16:15-16:30 Break with music entertainment
16:30-17:30 Session 4 “Copenhagen – the deal we need and the deal we’re likely to get”
17:30-17:45 Climate Emergency CALL TO ACTION

Categories

What we're fighting for

Vestas Blades UK made production workers at their factories on the Isle of Wight redundant on 12 August 2009. More than 500 jobs were lost. Many more jobs that depend on Vestas will follow. This makes no sense from a green or a labour perspective!

At the same time, the government announced a major expansion of renewable energy including wind power. We are calling on the government to intervene to save jobs at companies like Vestas - through nationalisation if that is what it takes - to show that it is serious about saving the planet.

Actions & meetings

Wednesday 17 February

NEWPORT, ISLE OF WIGHT 7pm, Save Our Services public meeting, called by Unison, but open to all who want to campaign against the proposed cuts to council and all jobs and services. Venue: Hunnyhill Room, The Riverside Centre, The Quay, Newport, Isle of Wight.